Tethered polymer chains have become an important area of research over the
last few decades. Their unique properties make them appealing for various
applications. The tethering density of the chains is the most important
parameter in determining their properties, as shown by various theoretical
and experimental works. Our group uses single crystals of
crystalline-amorphous diblock copolymers to study tethered polymer chains.
This system provides better control of tethering density and molecular
weight as compared to previous methods. Previous work on PS-b-PEO and
PS-b-PLLA shows, for the first time, the values of the interacting and brush
regime transitions. The systems studied have addressed some issues,
molecular weight dependence and solvent quality, but they do not provide
general results. The work presented here will look at the role of chain
adsorption and crystallization of the tethered chain, using PMMA-b-PLLA and
PEO-b-PCL systems.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2008.MAR.C1.12